1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to terminal array connectors of the type commonly used to join telecommunication lines at a junction point. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for utilizing telecommunication line connectors in a dense, space efficient manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the field of telecommunications equipment, there are many different types of connectors that are used to interconnect copper telephone lines at junction points. In applications where numerous telephone lines are present, a common type of connector used is a terminal array connector, such as the model S 66 M connector manufactured by the Siemens Company. Terminal array connectors have an array of slot terminals on their top surface and an array of post terminal on their bottom surface. A first set of copper telephone lines are connected to the bottom post terminals at known position addresses. A second set of copper telephone lines are then selectively connected to the slot terminals on the top of the connector. By connecting the second set of telephone wires to different positions on the terminal array connector, most any desired interconnection can be made between the first set of telephone wires and the second set of telephone wires.
There are many junction points in a telephone wiring system where terminal array connectors can be used. Often the junction point for telecommunication lines is a utility room in the cellar of a building. Within a utility room, terminal array connectors are often mounted side-by-side on a panel on one of the walls of the utility room. Alternatively, often the junction point is contained within a junction box, such as a building entrance protector. The application of building entrance protectors is described in related U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/050,510, entitled Improved Splice Chamber And Connector Assembly, which is assigned to Lucent Technologies, the assignee herein and which is incorporated into this disclosure by reference.
When terminal array connectors are used in junction boxes or when terminal array connectors are mounted on a wall, the amount of space available is limited. The number of terminal array connectors used in a given application depends upon the number of telephone lines being used. The more telephone lines that are being used at a particular location, the more terminal array connectors are needed to join those telephone lines. As often is the case, the number of telephone lines used at one location surpasses the space available for the terminal array connectors needed to join those telephone lines. The telephone wire must then be rerouted to different utility rooms or other locations where enough space for the terminal array connectors is available.
A need therefore exists for a manner of improving the density at which terminal array connects can be mounted, thereby increasing the number of terminal array connectors that can be mounted in a given size space.